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Although most of us saw this reality coming from a mile away, now we have data to back up the worst kept secret of the app development world since the tablet was announced January 27th. According to research from mobile analytics company Flurry, the first wave of iPad applications will be heavily entrenched in gaming. Of all the apps being polished by developers for introduction into the forthcoming iPad App Store, gaming is the dominant category, one that consumes 44% of all applications being prepared.

Entertainment, which should largely be expected to include video content, places second - accounting for 14% of the iPad apps believed to be in development. Sports, travel, utilities, and lifestyle apps round out the remainder of the pie. While there's no way of telling if this scenario will prove 100% accurate at the time of the iPad App Store grand opening, the data is an excellent primer on the major types of content we can expect right out of the gate.

Just days ago Apple began inviting developers to submit their iPad apps before March 27th so that they can be reviewed and possibly included in the App Store before the iPad reaches consumers on April 3rd, its scheduled release date. Developers are required to build their apps using beta 5 of the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK.

Although Flurry Analytics would not divulge the total number of iPad apps they're tracking, industry analysts have proven incapable of reaching a consensus on the total apps that will be ready for debut by April 3rd. While some say only a scant few hundred apps will be ready, others have predicted upwards of 10,000 iPad-optimized apps upon the grand opening of the iPad App Store. For now, the specifics aren't known. But it appears that a wealth of content is being readied, the bulk of which will all but certainly appeal to the avid gamers eager to enjoy the tablet's revolutionary gaming platform.